"I’ve been talking with Randy and ABC for several weeks and I can’t tell you how excited we are to have back-to-back races which will be televised on ABC from 3:30 to 6 (p.m.)"

"General Motors thinks its crazy good and our sponsors get double the value. It’s going to be busy with GRAND-AM, Indy Lights and the [SCCA] World Challenge but I can’t think of one reason we wouldn’t want to do it."

Randy's also, er, excited about the new division between ABC and NBC Sports races. Basically NBC Sports covers the series up until Indianapolis, then ABC carry Indycar on network television from Indy right through to Pocono, with a break at Milwaukee, which NBC Sports will cover. That's the June stretch which has races every weekend from the Indy 500 on 26th May to Iowa on 23rd June. Pocono comes two weeks later on 7th July. NBCS then has the series back right through to Fontana in October. Obviously there are still significant problems, first of all the quality of ABC's coverage, but a more concentrated run of races on network TV might help build an audience. Hopefully they'll use the long straight on the Detroit circuit this time, and actually give ABC some racing to cover. Though they'll probably miss it anyway.

Ideal world: swap out Mid-Ohio for Cleveland, extend Pocono to 500 miles, and get the governor of Wisconsin to ensure the state can provide a market for Indycar races at Milwaukee and Road America. March spectators to the track at gunpoint if you have to. Once they're in, they'll go nuts at the concession stands and they'll forget all about the coercion.

Curt Cavin said in his daily column that he'd like the Saturday grid to be done by Friday times, and Sunday by yesterday's fastest laps. Nothing official's been announced yet.

They could do worse than use British Superbike's two-race format, which allows Race 2's entrants a maximum drop of 10 places from their original qualifying position. So if Dario starts on pole at Belle Isle, and gets bumped out of the race on the first lap, he starts 11th on Sunday instead of last.

There is not really any way to do a reverse grid or any hybrid of such fairly IMO. Run practice and qualifying on Friday. (As an INDYCAR fan I find their qualifying format asinine.) Give the drivers two flying timed laps. First lap sets race one, second lap sets race two. All car times are then equal ie fresh tires for one time and scrubs for the second time.

There is not really any way to do a reverse grid or any hybrid of such fairly IMO. Run practice and qualifying on Friday. (As an INDYCAR fan I find their qualifying format asinine.) Give the drivers two flying timed laps. First lap sets race one, second lap sets race two. All car times are then equal ie fresh tires for one time and scrubs for the second time.

That'd work on an oval. On a road course you could do like other series where fastest qualifying lap sets race 1 grid, your next fastest time sets race 2, etc.

When I used to go racing with my uni team round the UK they'd use a system where your fastest time in practise set your race 1 start position and your 2nd fastest practise time set your place on the grid for race 2. That was minor club racing in the UK though and really sounds far too sensible for the likes of Indycar.

Hopefully they'll at least simplify the current system. It's like they wanted to copy the F1 system and then complicated it with a split-up field for no reason.

Cool off-season article on James Hinchcliffe, from Canada's National Post. The bit I've made an excerpt of gives us some clues about how the team chemistry at Andretti Autosport may have changed this year...

Above all else, it is evident Hinchcliffe admires Hunter-Reay deeply. He watched the champion win four of his last eight races, including Toronto, and took notes on how Hunter-Reay adapted to every situation.

"In Fontana [the season’s last race on Sept. 15] I told Ryan to copy and paste my [engine, tire and electronic set up] onto his car. He drove a setup he had not been on all weekend long, and just trusted it. He drove 500 miles to get exactly what he needed to win the championship.

"Drives like that — when you know you don’t have a winning car but you take the absolute most out of the package — that is what I learned from Ryan."

That becomes a bit GP2-ish, where your fast lap doesnt count if you aren't running in the points or not a classified finisher or whatever it is to prevent guys doing late race tire changes.

Frankly nothing would spice up a street race more than have a nutter on low fuel and new tires with 10 laps to go, and those are the double header weekends.

Yep. If we must have double-headers, and I prefer we didn't (minority view I know), then I see nothing wrong with someone out of the running in race 1 trying by fair means or foul to get a much improved qualifying position for race 2. Could really spice things up.

Yeah but you don't want the nutter losing it and wadding it up going for broke with 3 laps to go and then the race ends on a caution.

Well true that job is usually left to Takuma, but I really don't see it as a problem. They're racers, they should be going for it. Besides towards the end of a race, pit strategies or yellows aside, things are often set pretty much in place so someone further down the field who is on it can put a little excitment back into proceedings. It is somewhat swings and roundabouts, but I think the positives outweigh the roundabouts.

It's looking extremely likely there'll be no custom bodywork for 2013. Allegedly fans just want the cars to look different, and not actually be differentiated by aerodynamic performance. That's going to be difficult to achieve.

I doubt we'll ever see them, at least not until a new formula comes in. Neither Dallara nor the series will want to relinquish that sort of control.

It's looking extremely likely there'll be no custom bodywork for 2013. Allegedly fans just want the cars to look different, and not actually be differentiated by aerodynamic performance. That's going to be difficult to achieve.

I doubt we'll ever see them, at least not until a new formula comes in. Neither Dallara nor the series will want to relinquish that sort of control.

It's looking extremely likely there'll be no custom bodywork for 2013. Allegedly fans just want the cars to look different, and not actually be differentiated by aerodynamic performance. That's going to be difficult to achieve.

I doubt we'll ever see them, at least not until a new formula comes in. Neither Dallara nor the series will want to relinquish that sort of control.

i feel sorry for our american bretherns ... they're missing on the exciting world of DRS/DDRS/flexing FW & tray/stalling/KERS etc etc etc debates/fun/panic we have in F1

I believe Bernie's got an exclusivity clause in his contract with the Lunar Grand Prix people, so Randy Bernard might have to settle for a race in Low Earth Orbit. The teams will appreciate the lower freight costs, but fans may get frustrated with all the debris cautions.

I believe Bernie's got an exclusivity clause in his contract with the Lunar Grand Prix people, so Randy Bernard might have to settle for a race in Low Earth Orbit. The teams will appreciate the lower freight costs, but fans may get frustrated with all the debris cautions.

The first four don't strike me as very realistic, and the others (except Briscoe) don't really grab me as drivers who'll do a better job than Conway did. Presumably Takuma Sato's also a possibility. This silly season is frustratingly short on silliness. Although on the other hand I'd appreciate another airing of the Bertie Breadstick jokes.

i feel sorry for our american bretherns ... they're missing on the exciting world of DRS/DDRS/flexing FW & tray/stalling/KERS etc etc etc debates/fun/panic we have in F1

Not really because we would end up having the same arguments over legality, just insert Penske/Ganassi/Andretti for the usual F1 suspects.....

I'm not convinced it's that funded.

I'd take Bourdais/Wilson/Servia/Briscoe, otherwise a punt on Edwards/Summerton/Allmendinger. The former are for ability, the latter for passport and hopefully ability

Baguette/Cunningham/Pizzonia/Lloyd add nothing to the mix.

Dinger would be a good fit IMO. Everything to prove, attitude to back it, and Foyt as owner. What more could you ask for? I have absolutely NOTHING against any of them but it just never seemed "right" to me seeing Foyt field anyone but good ol' American boys.

it's funny when someone who's constantly been the champ gets hatered from fans, but when they fall from grace, people starts to like them. same happened with Schumacher, i never liked him in his dominant days, but since his return, i've been a staunch fan of his. the same applies to Bourdais. i honestly want to see him challenging the likes of Power,RHR,Dario and Briscoe.

btw, rumor mills suggesting that N.karthikayan may join indy ... any meat on that rumor??? also all who dishes out narayan, remember that in junior categories up till F1, he was damn good. who knows, he may have more luck in the states, he'll definitely have no shortage of indian supporters in USofA. perhaps too a lot more sponosors than in F1 which is still predominantly european market.

If the series is going to race in Europe, I would have thought one of the famous circuits, like Monza, Nurburgring et al. would be their goal.

Something I caught up in that article:

The appeal of Motegi was because it was the home of then-exclusive series engine supplier Honda, and it's likely that Mugello has entered consideration because it is owned by Ferrari. The series is looking around for more engine suppliers to join the competition in the future, and Fiat subsidiary Ferrari would be high on the list of prime candidates.

Reports say that Bernard has also discussed the possibility of Ford entering the series as a manufacturer, but that they are unlikely to sign up in the near future. Bernard is also said to have had discussions with Dodge, after the company decided to pull out of NASCAR competition at the end of 2012.

Notice that the writer names Fiat and Dodge as two separate companies, but essentially Dodge is Fiat turf now.

If the series is going to race in Europe, I would have thought one of the famous circuits, like Monza, Nurburgring et al. would be their goal.

I'm surprised the story's gathering momentum. Curt Cavin mentioned the Indycar-to-Mugello idea in his Indy Star blog, not entirely dismissively. Though he stressed it was one European circuit among several that Indycar's been cultivating contact with.

Fwiw, Mugello is a great place for a motor race of any description. It's a little like Barber, only bigger and faster, and with a much longer pit straight. No spider sculptures lurking around the spectator areas, though.

yeah I heard that- Ganassi has stated he's not involved. Apparently it's George, Barnes and Kalkohven. If TG takes charge again IndyCar then I'm done with it- I couldn't watch the IRL and wouldn't watch whatever the Idiot's vision for his new series would be either